The Strong's Authority (4)
The First Martial General, Beon Jak.
He was the leader of the Shinhwa Sect’s Eighteen Martial Generals, their undisputed strongest warrior, and the possessor of martial arts on an entirely different level from the others. Because of this, the generals revered him as a Divine General.
Despite having passed sixty years of age, his realm was so profound that he appeared no older than a man in his mid-forties. Although he had not yet reached the Limitless realm, he was a powerhouse so far beyond the average that no one who had merely broken through the wall of the end-stage could claim to stand on equal ground with him.
Moreover, as the left seat of the Eighteen Martial Generals—the elite vanguard of the Shinhwa Sect—he was more than worthy of being called a grand general of a nation. In other words, Beon Jak was the greatest spearhead the Shinhwa Sect could confidently deploy in any war.
And now, that same Beon Jak was staring at the face of a young expert swinging a massive axe.
Cold, sunken eyes. An expressionless face that nevertheless radiated terrifying fury and a spine-chilling aura of dominance. A powerhouse of the Central Plains.
“Annoying.”
Toward the falling axe blade, Beon Jak thrust out his fist.
BOOM!
Yeon Hojeong spat blood as he was sent flying backward.
The power of the Byeoksan Tiger Palm, the weight of the Mad Dragon Axe, and the destructive force of the White Tiger Arts had all been erased with a single punch. And yet, Beon Jak looked completely unaffected, his face full of leisure.
But his eyes held a strange glint. ‘It didn’t land properly?’ The fist force had failed to penetrate the opponent cleanly. It meant that even while being repelled, the young man had deflected nearly all of that volcanic power. ‘He dispersed the force at the exact moment of impact even though I struck with everything I had?’
An interesting fellow.
His raw ability was far beneath Beon Jak’s, yet he employed such clever tricks. Beyond mere combat experience, the boy’s innate sense for martial arts was truly exceptional.
It was then—
“Hojeong!”
SWOOOSH!
Yeon Wi, Dang Gwan, and Muk Bi rushed to Yeon Hojeong’s side.
Just moments ago, everyone had been pushed back by the tremendous explosive force Beon Jak had unleashed. In that instant, Beon Jak had closed the distance and struck Moyong Gun away. At the same time, Yeon Hojeong had chased after him, attempting to land a blow.
“Are you alright?”
“Ptoo! I’m fine.”
Yeon Hojeong wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up, glaring at Beon Jak.
Beon Jak spoke with clear interest.
“What outstanding experts. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen so many powerful warriors gathered in one place.”
Hssssss!
The flames that had been surging in every direction had finally begun to subside.
Hiiiiiiing!
The ceaseless whinnying of countless horses.
The combined forces of the Tangma Army and the Myeolsa Army, having annihilated all the Shinhwa soldiers, were slowly forming ranks and converging on this location.
At last, the final battle was beginning. All those qualified to end this fight had gathered.
On the Shinhwa Sect’s side: Beon Jak and Cheon Gang.
On the Martial Alliance’s side: the three family heads of the Six Clans, the commanders of the Yugun unit, and more than five hundred and fifty elite warriors.
They stared at one another, their battle intent blazing like wildfire. The long war was finally approaching its conclusion.
Beon Jak spoke to Cheon Gang.
“You failed to handle things properly.”
“M-my apologies.”
“Tsk. It was my misjudgment to think someone of your caliber would be enough. I won’t hold you accountable this time.”
“……”
“Thank you.”
Beon Jak scanned his surroundings once more.
“To think this place has been breached to this extent… Interesting. Could it be that all the warriors scattered across Henan have been defeated?”
At that moment, Dang Gwan spoke up.
“Did you really think we would leave those bastards alive and come all the way here?”
Beon Jak turned to look at him.
The blue eyes characteristic of Westerners deepened like bottomless abysses.
“Poison qi. As far as I know, the only person in the Central Plains capable of harboring such potent poison qi is a master from the Sichuan Tang Family.”
“You saw correctly. I am Dang Gwan, the patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Family.”
Though he spoke with confidence, Dang Gwan was inwardly shocked.
The Doban Samyang Gwiwongong completely concealed the poison qi within one’s body. Even Yo Roe had been unable to tell he was from the Tang Family until the moment he released his poison.
Yet Beon Jak had seen through it instantly. It wounded his pride, but he had no choice but to acknowledge that this man operated on a completely different level.
Beon Jak smiled.
His eyes were ice-cold, yet only the corners of his mouth curved upward. It was a chilling smile.
“Not bad. Truly not bad at all. Looking at your group, it seems you’re all from the Martial Alliance. Does that mean you were already aware of our presence?”
Yeon Wi spoke.
“Surrender.”
“Hm?”
“I fully recognize your strength. However, there is nowhere left for you to run.”
Beon Jak let out a short laugh.
“If we surrender? You’ll spare our lives?”
“That’s right.”
“A tempting offer. Do you have the authority to make such a promise?”
“I do not. However, I believe I can at least guarantee your lives for the time being.”
“In other words, even if we don’t die immediately, we’ll be dragged away and killed later.”
“Correct.”
“How honest.”
“I don’t like lies. And even if I did speak them, I doubt you would believe me.”
Beon Jak stared at Yeon Wi for a moment before asking bluntly.
“I’d like to know your name.”
“I am Yeon Wi, patriarch of the Gangdong Byeoksan Yeon Family.”
“The Arbitrator Sword, Yeon Wi! As expected, your character matches the reputation that precedes you. To show even an enemy the minimum courtesy… You are a great hero with whom I would gladly share a drink, despite standing on opposite sides.”
“So, what is your answer?”
Beon Jak shook his head.
“I will not surrender.”
“A shame.”
“I feel the same. To think you believed you could capture me with this much force—you’ve been underestimating me quite severely.”
His words dripped with terrifying confidence.
Dang Gwan’s lips twitched.
“Shall we test that confidence?”
“There’s no need for testing. Since you’ve all gathered here to capture us, it’s only natural that blades will clash, isn’t it?”
“Arrogant bastard!”
It was then—
FLASH! BOOM!
A streak of lightning-like sword energy slammed into Beon Jak.
Hssssss.
Thick white smoke rose heavily.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward the source of the lightning.
The one who had suddenly unleashed the sword energy was none other than Moyong Gun.
Moyong Gun spoke coldly.
“Stop wasting time with pointless chatter and let’s finish this quickly.”
SWOOOSH!
Yeon Hojeong, who had leaped into the smoke, spoke briefly.
“I agree.”
WOOOOOONG!
The Mad Dragon Axe was filled with flame-like killing intent. The Red Flame Six Kills Art had been activated.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With a violent explosion, Yeon Hojeong’s upper body was violently thrown backward.
“Tsk tsk.”
WHOOOSH.
Beon Jak emerged from the dispersing smoke. Even after taking Moyong Gun’s sword energy and Yeon Hojeong’s attack, he appeared completely unharmed.
“To launch a surprise attack after gathering this much military strength—you people truly have no sense of honor.”
At that moment, Muk Bi released her bowstring.
SWIIISH! THUD!
The arrow flew like lightning, only to be caught in Beon Jak’s hand. His reflexes were astonishing. The casual way he snatched it out of the air, as if dodging were beneath him, radiated overwhelming composure.
Dang Gwan shouted.
“Kill him!”
PAPAPAPANG!
The continuous barrage of the Linked Five Palms and the Thousand Poison Hand of the Tang Family shook the air itself.
Yeon Wi leaped forward without hesitation, unleashing the Iron Sword Grand Lotus sword technique. At the same time, Muk Bi’s arrows shot forth once more, slipping past the two men like ghosts to target Beon Jak’s head and chest.
Beon Jak’s eyes deepened.
Even for someone called a Divine General, these were not attacks that could be taken lightly.
Fwoooooosh!
Invisible flames gathered in both his hands, forming a massive dragon-headed blade.
It was the Shinhwa Sect’s supreme technique, the Fire Dragon Demonic Blade. However, it was on a completely different scale from the version used by the other generals.
It was far more violent and emitted an incomparably stronger fire energy. The flames alone were enough to rob half of the incoming attacks of their power.
Beon Jak swung both hands.
BOOM! BOOM! CRACK!
Beon Jak’sFire Dragon Demonic Blade was not merely powerful. Its razor-sharp cutting force, combined with the unique nature of the fire blade, disrupted the experts’ attacks. It was terrifying strength paired with masterful internal energy control.
RUMBLE!
There was something even more surprising.
While Beon Jak’s martial arts were powerful, his speed was no different from Cheon Gang’s.
FLASH!
Dang Gwan’s eyes widened. Before he knew it, Beon Jak’s presence had appeared at his side and rear.
“If you keep clashing with me, your poison won’t be able to hold out. You should go first.”
BOOM!
Dang Gwan spat blood as he was sent flying sideways.
Beon Jak’s eyes narrowed. ‘It didn’t land properly.’ At the last moment, he had switched from the Thousand Poison Hand to the Golden Gang Five Poison Palm. While the poison itself couldn’t compare to the fully realized Thousand Poison Hand, the raw power and resilience of the Five Poison Palm were several levels higher.
A master who instinctively changed his martial technique to match the situation. ‘And he’s not the only one.’
Beon Jak twisted his head to the side.
FLASH!
A sword ray shot toward him like an arrow, grazing his cheek as it passed.
It was Yeon Wi. He had closed the distance in an instant. The sword technique he wielded with cold precision was like an iron wall.
Beon Jak swung the Fire Dragon Demonic Blade once more.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Blade and sword clashed over a dozen times, sending massive sparks flying.
Yeon Wi staggered backward. Though he had reached near-perfection in the martial path, he could not overcome Beon Jak in terms of raw power.
However, Beon Jak was genuinely surprised.
Drip.
A thin line of blood appeared on his shoulder. It was a wound left by Yeon Wi’sIron Sword Grand Lotus. ‘He pierced through?’ He had cut through both the Fire Dragon Demonic Blade and the dual defensive wall of the Gold Emperor Pure Art. Though it was only a shallow cut to the flesh, the important thing was that he had breached such a powerful internal energy shield.
SWISH! SWISH!
Yeon Wi moved with unusually elastic footwork and seized Beon Jak’s flank.
RUMBLE!
A thunderous roar erupted from Beon Jak’s hand.
It was not the Fire Dragon Demonic Blade. It was the Fierce Fire Divine Palm.
Merely gathering power for the Fierce Fire Divine Palm produced a tremendous explosion. The sound alone suggested that a single strike would carry the force of a fire cannon. ‘Let’s see if you can take this as well.’
Beon Jak swung the Fierce Fire Divine Palm.
WHOOOOSH!
It was a terrifying flame.
With a single swing, a golden pillar of fire erupted outward.
Compared to this, the Fierce Fire Divine Palm used by the other generals might as well have been child’s play. The moment the flames burst forth, wooden structures more than thirty meters away caught fire.
SWOOSH!
The surrounding experts instinctively retreated more than fifty meters. They could not withstand the ultra-high temperature.
But what about Yeon Wi?
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The palm strikes, like cannon fire, collided with the sword curtain Yeon Wi had drawn, producing continuous explosions.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! FWOOSH!
After the successive explosions, the palm force that had been gradually weakening suddenly shot skyward. ‘……!’
Beon Jak’s face hardened.
“Huu.”
Before him stood Yeon Wi, sword raised and stance lowered. His clothes were scorched in several places, yet his expression remained utterly cold.
“You blocked that?”
He had not simply blocked it. He had repeatedly deflected and redirected the force, and once its power had been sufficiently worn down, he had drawn it in and launched it high into the sky.
It was truly a divine sword technique. Both Dang Gwan and Moyong Gun could not help but admire the flawless counter.
“As expected, you are strong. But I can still handle it somehow.”
Yeon Wi relaxed his stance and took up a new opening posture.
It was an unusually aggressive stance for him. As if intending to take the opponent’s head with a single strike, an even sharper aura than before enveloped his entire body.
The patriarch of the Byeoksan Yeon Family, the Arbitrator Sword Yeon Wi.
The man who wielded the most perfect swordsmanship among all swordsmen of the current murim.
Regardless of the strength of his internal energy, his enlightenment regarding the sword had reached the pinnacle. His overwhelming ability to dismantle even stronger forces using only simple forms came directly from that profound insight.
Beon Jak’s eyelids trembled slightly. ‘The Yeon patriarch was this strong? The head of a sword family whose fame has only spread for fifty years?’
It was then—
THUD!
A gruesome sound of flesh being torn was followed by Cheon Gang’s scream.
Beon Jak reflexively turned his head.
“Huff… huff! Damn, that kid’s ridiculously fast.”
Beon Jak’s face twisted.
Yeon Hojeong, covered in blood, was lifting Cheon Gang by the collar. Cheon Gang’s upper body bore a massive wound, clearly the result of a direct hit from the axe.
Yeon Hojeong glared at Beon Jak while breathing heavily.
“Now it’s really just you left.”